I am extremely pleased to be present at the launch of new initiative of the Centre for Education Research and Social Development by Sultana Foundation.

I am told that this Centre will focus on Teachers’ Development, Early Pre-school Age development and Primary Education Development in Pakistan. The impressive part is that the Centre will work as a vehicle for transferring the retired people’s intellectual, academic and professional knowledge and experiences to the younger generation.

I am grateful to Prince Sultan Bin Salman for taking out time to visit Pakistan and pay reverence to his mother Late Sultana Turki-Al-Suderi.

Royal Highness!

Your presence here today is a symbol of the longstanding and everlasting friendly relations between the people of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Both the countries share a vast heritage of cultural, religious and social values that bind us in the common bond of eternal brotherhood.

Pakistan is just like your second home. The people of Pakistan hold Saudi Arabia in great reverence as a model Islamic country, having the privilege of being the caretaker of the Harmain Sharifain, and as a reliable and trustworthy friend.

I have a deep faith that people of both the countries are peace loving, faithful and hardworking and can make great contributions to the overall peace and prosperity of not only the region but that of the whole world.

Ladies and Gentlemen!Social work is in other words, service to humanity. And after the worship of Allah, no task is nobler than service to humanity. The teachings of Islam are based on two basic principles, worship of Allah (Huqooq-ul-Allah) and service of men (Huqooq-ul-Ibad). Without putting both of these principles into practice, there can be no true fulfilment of one’s religious duties. According to a Hadith, “you should be merciful to people on earth and Almighty Allah will be merciful to you”. This way Islam links personal salvation to serving humanity.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

In the present digital world, education is the key to a nation’s success. It is an admitted fact that, more the people of a country are educated; the higher will be its standard of development. Economic boom always follows educational revolution. Education, particularly in the fields of science and technology, can play an important role in eradicating the economic ills and ensuring socio-economic development of a nation.

As a country on path of development, Pakistan needs skilled, highly educated and motivated youth to compete in the present global environment. Though the present government is keen to develop educational facilities for our youth, yet governmental efforts alone are not enough to meet the ever growing requirement. I therefore urge the philanthropic institutions and people as well as the private sector to devote their efforts and resources to the noble cause of imparting quality education to our young generation in line with modern trends.

Fortunately, Pakistan is blessed with a vast treasure of talented youth who need to be properly trained and guided. But there is an urgent need to provide them with opportunities so that their capabilities are usefully employed for the nation’s socio-economic betterment. The Youth Business Loan Scheme is one such step which the present government has taken to allow the youth to use their skills and make them self reliant.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The primary mission of social work is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.

A defining feature of social work is its focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society in terms of education, health and social uplift. Thus it is fundamental to social work to promote social justice and social change. We need a social change to create a healthy society in which our people are safe, educated and are able to participate in the development and prosperity of the country.

Sultana Foundation is one such example of social work, conceived by a few retired people and transformed into reality by the generous financial support of Late Princess Sultana whose love and devotion to human service is reflected in the shape of this KNOWLEDGE CITY, serving thousands of students on humanitarian basis. The name of that great philanthropist lady will forever remain a great source of inspiration for generations to come. The vast range of formal and informal education modalities applied to education development, by Sultana Foundation, is highly helpful in promoting the cause of education in Pakistan. Its initiatives for emphasis on out-of-school children, which Dr. Naeem Ghani has named a “Quantitative Deficit of Education” is a vital area needing attention of the civil society as well as the government.

I pay my humble tribute to the Great Lady and the men behind this Mission.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is heartening to know that the Foundation which started with a two room primary school for boys in 1994 is running a number of prestigious educational institutions, today, where thousands of students are getting quality education. Moreover, the Foundation’s emphasis on skills training and character building is also commendable.

In the end, I thank you once again and pray that May Allah keep us in peace and give us the strength to serve humanity to the best of our abilities.